She could clearly see the adoration on his face as he looked down at her, and she wondered how in the fuck she hadn’t realized it before.
“Would you dance with me?,” She whispered.
Rider smoothed hair away from her face as he nodded.
“Sure.”
Emily smiled to herself as she lifted her phone and picked a random slow song, some country song about butterflies and moonlight. Rider stood beside her and held out a hand to her, his calloused palm facing the ceiling.
“Come on,” He urged.
Emily took his hand and he jerked her into his hard body, his fingers sliding behind her neck as he tugged her hair from its bun.
The blonde locks fell down around her shoulders and Rider ran his fingers through the strands. Emily closed her eyes and let him love her for just a moment-it felt good.
Too good.
Remember what happened last time you let a man convince you to stay?
That panic rose inside of Emily like a tidal wave and she did her best to quell it, to stifle the urge to flee. To escape, to run away, to leave Rider and everything else behind-
“Emily, look at me.”
Slowly, she opened her eyes.
“I can feel the fear comin’ off you in waves. I know your past is tainted all black and blue, but I hope you know by now I would never hurt you,” He said easily.
Emily swallowed audibly as she dropped her forehead to his chin.
“I’m not afraid of you hurting me, not really. I know you wouldn’t, I just-,” She paused, not quite sure how to say it.
Rider lifted her chin with the tip of his index finger and looked into her eyes questioningly.
“Then what is it? What is keepin’ you from loving me too?”
His words were so soft, so pure, that Emily’s whole face filled with warmth.
Tell him the truth, he deserves it.
“I’m afraid I’m going to hurt you.”
His grip on her tightened as he buried his hands deeper into her hair and tipped her head backwards.
“You won’t.”
Emily thought that she very well would.
“I can. I can turn it all off so quick, it makes my own head spin. I don’t want to hurt you, Miles. I do love you, but I’m still so fucked up! How can I do that to you-”
“Wait a second, what did you just say?”
“I said, how can I do that to you?”
“No, before that,” Rider demanded gruffly.
A long lock of his blonde hair fell over his eyes as he looked down at her, and even though the song had changed, neither one of them moved.
Transfixed, Emily licked her lips before she said, “I do love you, too.”
Rider didn’t hesitate to kiss her then, and it nearly sucked the breath right out of her lungs. How could she be so unsure one second and then so…warm the next? Just earlier she’d been so fucking positive that being with Rider wasn’t what she wanted, that they could not cross that line, and yet…
There she was, in his arms, and she almost felt at peace again.
Rider’s tongue slid into her mouth, seeking her taste, and Emily responded in kind. The grunt he made under his breath told her that he liked it, and she liked it, too.
He surprised her when he wrapped her in his arms and lifted her against his chest, his mouth never leaving hers. Being that he knew her apartment like the back of his hand, he carried her into her bedroom and set her down on the edge of her bed.
Emily fell back against the silk sheets and looked up at him from beneath her lashes, her chest heaving from the lack of air in her lungs.
“Take your clothes off, baby. I wanna see you,” He whispered.
Emily slowly pulled her shirt up and over her head before she slipped out of her leggings. Splatters of paint were stuck to her skin, but Rider didn’t seem too concerned about it. Instead, he watched her as if he had nowhere else in the world he would rather be.
“Emily, I know shit will never be perfect for us. I know that we’ve both done things that we regret and we’ve both hurt people who didn’t necessarily deserve it. I ain’t talkin’ violence, either. You think you’re the first woman I’ve loved? You’re not, and you may not even be the last, but right now…I don’t care about anything else. Be here with me, in this moment.”
Emily’s eyes flooded with tears as Rider dropped his cut to the floor.
How can I say no?
How can I turn him away?
A part of me loves him, appreciates him for everything he’s done.
But still…, “What if I ruin you?”
Rider flashed her a wicked smile as he shook his head.
“Don’t be silly, Emily. I’m already ruined, and so are you.”
So are you.
So am I…
As Emily opened her arms for Rider, she felt something inside of her shift. Some vital part of her that hadn’t been connected for a long, long, time was suddenly alive again and intense and it hurt.
Hurt her so good that she had to rub a hand along the skin right over her pounding heart. It probably wasn’t a good idea to get attached to someone who could so easily admit that they were both ruined, but he was right.
Emily could do what he wanted.
She could do as he asked and live in the moment.
Besides, that’s all they really had to work with anyways, right? A myriad of moments strung together to create one unique story that would eventually become nothing but memories for the both of them?
Still, just as his mouth touched her, another part of her, a very vital part of her, cried out in agony.
Move on, move on, move on…
Emily let her body open beneath him as she eased her metaphorical armor from her frame. She opened her eyes wide so she could see her adversary clearly. He wasn’t her opponent, not in the literal sense, because Rider was her friend first and foremost…
But, being physically intimate placed them on an entirely different battlefield.
Letting him invade her body meant that he could utterly fracture what was left of her already fragile existence, and Emily knew she could only stand so much.
She’d already survived the flames, now she was dealing with the dead flesh that needed to be scraped away.
Now she was dealing with the open flames that had nearly incinerated her entirely, but isn’t that what had made her cold in the first place?
What better way to stifle the fire than by freezing it out?
“Emily, stay with me,” Rider said roughly.
His hands were between her thighs, his teeth were nibbling on the tender flesh of her neck- Emily’s eyes closed and for a second she could pretend that the last few months hadn’t happened. For a moment, she could pretend that she wasn’t just a shell of the woman she used to be.
Moving on sounded great, but when Rider’s fingers spread her pussy wide and she laid her thighs flat against the sheets, all Emily cared about was the fact that he was so close to giving her what she needed…
An escape from being herself.
Chapter 7
Limit and Fury only had to hang around for a couple of hours before their targets began to cause a scene. This time Angel, a blonde from Axel’s club, was trying to set their drinks down when the obvious leader of their group yanked hard on her arm.
The tray she was holding fell to the floor with a loud clang! and Fury rose to his feet before Limit could. Both of them started for Angel the same time she seemingly looked up for help. Torch waved at them questioningly, but Limit shook his head.
He could handle the nomad fuckers.
In fact, he didn’t even give them a chance to argue before he had the leader suspended in mid-air by the collar of his cut.
“Party’s over, fuck head. Get your shit and get out,” Limit growled.
The man held his hands out in mock surrender, a grin spreading his thin lips wide.
“I was wondering how long it would be before your behemoth ass walked over here, Li
mit. No need for violence. I’m here for someone, and word on the street is, you can point me in her direction.”
Limit dropped the ass hole to the ground and took a step closer to him.
For a moment, he thought the man would ask for Scarlett- as if Limit would ever let the greasy sleaze near his woman.
“What’s the name of your crew and why are you in our territory?”
Fury asked this as he crossed his big arms over his chest.
“I’m Ash and this is my crew. We don’t really have a name anymore, since there’s only a few of us left. I told ya, I’m lookin; for someone.”
“We can’t help you,” Limit bit out.
Ash laughed manically as he lifted his dark brows.
“Oh, come on now! Just give me what I want, and we’re out of your hair for good.”
Limit glanced at Fury, who nodded. Why not? If they were going to leave anyways…
“Who?”
Ash rubbed his hand along his dirty beard and Limit noticed that his teeth were damn near rotting out of his head.
“Emily Monroe. She’s my old lady, and I want her back.”
Limit didn’t show any emotion as he shook his head.
“Can’t help you.”
Ash grinned as he looked at his crew.
“I think you can, and if you don’t, I’m gonna make your life a livin’ hell. Emily is mine. She’s my property, and I want her back, now!”
Ash’s face turned a nasty shade of red and Limit studied his features carefully. He wasn’t much to look at and he obviously lacked manners, so Limit had to wonder…is he telling the fucking truth?
“I’ll see if she wants to see you.”
“Bullshit! We know how this works, gentleman. She’s claimed and she’s marked. She’s mine. Hand her over, and we’re gone before sunrise,” Ash demanded.
Fury was already shaking his head when Limit turned to him.
“We’ll talk to our prez and see what he wants.”
Ash didn’t look pleased, in fact, he looked utterly pissed when he shoved his hands into his pockets roughly.
“Is that the best you’re gonna offer me?”
Fury smiled at him as he started to chuckle.
“The best we’re gonna offer you is lettin’ you live after the way you just spoke to us, ass hat. Limit here is the club enforcer and I bet he’s just itchin’ to work again.”
Ash didn’t even look fazed.
“Boo-fuckin’-hoo. We’ll be around, but just remember,” Ash took a step towards Limit and smiled.
“If you don’t give me what I want, I’ll find another way to get it. I’m crafty like that,” Ash hissed as he knocked over the table they’d been sitting at. His henchmen followed behind him blindly, none of them realizing the can of worms they’d just opened.
Fury moved to follow them, but Limit stopped him with a hand on his arm.
“Let ‘em go, man. They’re nothing and they obviously have no idea what they just started. Let’s head back to the clubhouse, brief Ox on what we found out. He didn’t just randomly come up with Emily’s name. We need to talk to Green, see what he knows.”
Fury looked pissed and Limit didn’t blame him.
“You’re right. Let’s go. Rayna’s waitin’ on me, anyways.”
As Limit and Fury made their way towards the front of the club, Limit motioned towards the table.
“Have someone clean that up. They shouldn’t be back, but if they do come back, you have my permission to subdue them any way you need to.”
Torch smiled wide as he planted one hand on his hip near the holster of his gun.
“You got it,” He said.
Limit nodded towards Fury.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
◆◆◆
Emily was still asleep when her phone started ringing. She hurried to answer it lest Rider wake up, too.
“Hello?”
“Em, it’s Ox.”
“I know. I have caller ID, remember?,” She asked as she rubbed a hand over her face.
She heard a deep sigh on the other end of the line, and she knew something was wrong.
“What’s wrong? Is it Scarlett? Is everything okay?”
“Em, I need to ask you something, and you have to be completely honest with me.”
“What is it?”
“Do you know a man named Ash?”
Emilys heart skipped at least three beats as his name settled in her ear. Her entire body tensed at the mere mention of him, much like it used to when she was with him.
“Yes,” She admitted shakily.
Her voice trembled and she hated being so weak, but Ash made her feel like a worthless waste of space and that feeling would never go away.
“He’s in town and he’s lookin’ for you. I don’t- Em, does Green know? That you were someone else’s old lady?”
Emily swallowed as she glanced at Rider who was still sleeping peacefully.
“No one knows the truth.”
Ox swore a blue streak a mile long before he asked, “I’m goin’ to assume you didn’t tell anyone because you a had a damn good reason.”
“I promise I did.”
“Get to the clubhouse. Pack a bag, you’ll be stayin’ here until we can get these fuckers out of town.”
Emily closed her eyes and she knew that in that instant, more than just her relationship with Rider was at stake.
“Did you already tell him?”
“Tell Green? No, sweetheart. That’s all you.”
Emily took a deep breath before she glanced at the clock.
“We’ll be there in an hour.”
Ox hung up and she knew that he was mad, but she’d been honest when she said she had a good reason for not telling anyone the truth, including Scarlett. Why would she want to share her shame, pain, and humiliation with anyone?
Including Green?
He’d basically torn her apart in a different way, a worse way, because Emily was used to the violence. She’d been worn down so often when she was with Ash that the violence didn’t faze her as much as it should.
No, the emotional detriment was much, much worse.
“Rider, wake up. We gotta get to the clubhouse.”
Rider’s eyes peeled open and he reached for her, his hands closing around her wrists.
“Kiss me like you want me.”
Emily leaned down to kiss him, enjoying the calm before the inevitable storm she was about to face at the clubhouse.
From Scarlett, Ox, Rider, Green…
Her stomach roiled at the thought of sharing some of her deepest, darkest, secrets.
I can’t do this…
“Em, what’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Rider wasn’t too far off the mark- as Emily caught sight of herself in her vanity mirror, she sure as hell did see a ghost. The woman Ash turned her into was practically glowing with renewed fear, and even though Emily knew Ox wouldn’t let anything happen to her, she couldn’t ignore the fact that this complicated things.
It fucking complicated everything.
There was nothing she could do to keep Ash at bay, not if he really wanted her. Not if he already knew where she was. The fact that Ox didn’t send back up told her that Ash didn’t have jack-shit as far as her true whereabouts went, but if he knew she was with the Seven Deadlies that probably didn’t sit well with him.
They’d traveled together a lot, never settling down in one spot. Emily spent her free time with him, as much as she could anyways, but eventually she’d had to do anything and everything she could to escape because he would have killed her.
She had no doubt.
“We have to go. I don’t have time to explain, but Ox is waiting for us back at the clubhouse,” Emily muttered.
“Must have somethin’ to do with nomad crew floatin’ around town. No worries, Em.”
Emily paused in the middle of packing her bag.
“You know about the nomad crew?”
&nb
sp; Rider frowned as he stuffed his own phone into his front pocket, his keys tucked into his palm.
“Yeah. Ox sent Limit and Fury to Sexy Sinners last night to get more info on them. Why?”
Emily swore at the mention of Limit and knew that if he knew about Ash, then so did Scarlett, but no one had the details.
Which is exactly why Ox wanted her there pronto.
“I don’t have time to tell you the truth now, but I need you to trust me. Can you do that?,” She asked.
Rider frowned, his eyes narrowing as he watched her shove as much as she could in a small duffle.
“I’m not the one with trust issues here, you are. All I need is your word that you’ll tell me the truth.”
Emily stuck out a hand, one pinky raised towards Rider.
“I’ll do you one better. I pinky promise I’ll tell you the truth, but you need to understand that everything I’m about to tell you and your club will change it all.”
Rider hooked their pinkies, but not before he told her, “You’re scarin’ me a little.”
Emily glanced at the clock on the wall and tucked her phone into her pocket.
“I haven’t stopped bein’ scared since the first time I climbed onto the back of a bike at the top of these fucking mountains. That isn’t about to change now.”
Emily ran her fingers through her hair and took a peek out the window, checking for any suspicious bikes and riders just in case.
Rider moved to stand beside her, his arm wrapping around her waist.
“Remember the night I found you outside Sexy Sinners three months ago? When all that shit went down with Green and Kandy?”
Emily nodded.
“The look in your eyes told me it wasn’t the first time you’d been hurt. I knew there was something else, something darker buried beneath your skin. I don’t ask questions I know I won’t get an answer to, sweetheart. I know you’d rather let Limit pry off your pink fingernails then let anyone else see how weak you are. But, I know that underneath all that ice, is a woman made for lovin’. I just hope one day you’ll let the rest of the world see her, too.”
Rider didn’t wait for her to say anything else, no, he turned around and left her all by her lonesome. Emily heard the engine of his bike sound and she sucked in a harsh breath before she walked to her desk in the living room and grabbed two things: a leather-bound journal and a manila envelope.
Greed (Seven Deadlies MC Book 4) Page 5
